Court of Honor, Springfield IL

The Court of Honor was organized in Springfield, Illinois, in 1895, with an elaborate ritual.  It prospered principally as an insurance company (in 1920 there were over 75,000 benefit members and only 2,300 social members), and then transformed itself into a regular life insurance company. In the early 1920s it changed its name to the Court of Honor Life Association, and in 1924 reincorporated simply as Springfield Life Insurance, after its headquarters city. In 1934 it merged with Abraham Lincoln Life, and in 1934 it was reinsured with Illinois Bankers Life.
Court of Honor Ritual

Here is a piece of their advertising from 1915

The 1915 City Directory states that the Court of Honor was at East Adams, on the South East corner of Second and Adams.

Wonderful home of Carol and Dale Phillips

Springfield Scene Magazine has a wonderful feature article on  Carol and Dale Phillips home that is in the Historic West Side Neighborhood -- This fabulous article should not be missed....

Springfield Scene Magazine

How others see the Grant connection to the Historic West side neighborhood

This is a follow up to the June 3, 2010 entry on:
Dubois School site has an interesting history at       Click here

I found this entry in a blog on U.S. Grant: The title for the entry is:
Ulysses S. Grant Tour- Springfield, Illinois to the Ohio river

1861: Proceeding from the Old State House eastward a number of blocks, we visited the site where Grant had his first command of soldiers–the 21st Illinois Volunteer Infantry. Originally the area was the state agricultural fairgrounds before its conversion to a Civil War military training camp. Today it is a gracious suburb with historic homes. Two memorial plaques commemorate the historic military grounds. One is a plaque on an elementary school building…


…the other object commemorating Grant’s command of the 21st Illinois Volunteer Infantry is a stone obelisk which now stands in a private garden…

The address of the blog is:

http://presidentusgrant.com/category/springfield-illinois/

The Aladdin Villa on Williams Boulevard

There is a Mediterranean style home at 957 Willaims Boulevard. It was built in 1919, shortly after this area was opened up for private homes. The architect was not local. In fact the name of the actual architect is unknown.  The house was ordered out of a catalog --

Does this house look familiar?  Here is how it looks now!

Here is how the house looked in 1967 -- there is more original detail visible:

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Aren't old postcards lovely?  what a nice custom of sending them through the mail to recognize holidays!

A Chilly afternoon in Oak Ridge Cemetery

Thinking it was warmer today, I suggested a walk to the park. My husband had another idea - how about a walk around Oak Ridge Cemetery. We headed to the oldest part  where the Victorian stones are.  We weren't headed for any particular plot, just looking at the different designs of the stones.
 We passed Herndon's grave (he was Lincoln's law partner)

If you stand by the side of Herndon's grave, you can see Lincoln's tomb in the distance.

Springfield had a poet named Vachel Lindsey.
 Lindsay was internationally known in the early-twentieth century for his unique poetry, the artwork he created to illustrate the poetry, and animated performances of his work. Two of his best-known volumes are The Congo (1914) and Collected Poems (1938).  He seems to have a lonely grave at Oak Ridge.

There are so many ornate stones at Oak Ridge. 

 

Amazingly, we ran into someone else we knew who decided to stroll through the cemetery today.  History is always with us in Springfield and there is something new to experience every day!

Lincoln Postcards from 1909

 Click to enlarge

For 2011: I resolve to work to ensure the survival of the Historic West Side Neighborhood's Residences

Some years ago, a dear friend gave me the photograph  (because I love cats) shown below of a home at 834 College St.  The young girl in the photograph is 9 years old.  I assume the photograph was taken in the autumn because of the leaves on the ground but both mother and daughter are wearing summer dresses.

"Mama and Linda Howden" Clicking on photograph will enlarge it.

I drove by the site today and saw a huge parking lot that covered the lots of two homes. Sadly this home, built around 1896, does not exist anymore.

Happy New Year - Wishing you 365 days of good luck!

A hundred years ago, the post office was busy delivering hoilday postcards. Here are two examples: (Clicking on images will enlarge them)

This postcard has applied paste jewels and a complete calendar pad.

The owners of our west side house moved in January 1916 so this card has special meaning to me.

This card "wishes all the historic west side neighborhood residents 365 days of good luck!"

Merry Christmas to The Historic Westside Neighborhood

Automobile Registration from Secretary of State 1910

Remember when Gas Stations gave out Calendars? Canterbury Texaco Service

This 1947 Calendar was given to customers of the Canterbury Texaco Service Station that was at Glenwood and South Grand.  I believe that a Credit Union now occupies the site.

Cool graphics!

Timeless Designs by Carl T. Meyer, Residential and Commercial Architect

Carl T. Meyer, was a Springfield architect who designed many homes and commercial buildings in the Westside Springfield  area in the 1920s and 1930s. One of these homes is at 1231 West Vine St. Amazingly, although the house was built in the 1930's it's design would fit in a new subdivision. It has been soextremely well maintained that it is almost as if time as stood still for this house.





This photograph was taken by Herbert Georg when the house was built

An impressive entrance

The house at 1231 West Vine today


Carl Meyer also designed many commercial buildings including the Kerasoted Building. For an excellent website and to see the past and present of the Kerasotes building, please use the link below.
 
http://www.springfieldrewind.com/kerasotes-building-1928


Mr. Meyer also renewed a major Springfield landmark, the South Town Theater. The original theater was built in 1915 and in 1936 a new facade was designed by Carl Meyer. The theater building today is the home of the Walch Studio.  The exterior of the theater was recently restored through grant money provided by the city of Springfield.

The theater marquee is stunning at night and is lighted from dusk until 1:00 AM.

Christmas Cards circa 1910

Here are two penny postcards sent in the very early part of the 20th Century.  Santa had just discovered the automobile so the reindeer must have gotten the December 24th and 25th off. I sure Sanata enjoyed motoring around the streets of the west side neighborhood delivering his presents.(Clicking on the image will enlarge it)

An Historic Home at 318 S. Glenwood Avenue

There is a remarkable Craftsman Bungalow at 318 S. Glenwood. It is important for several things - it was designed by Samuel Alexander Bullard, an 1878 graduate from the University of Illinois College of Engineering with a degree in architecture and  a former mayor of Springfield. This historic westside neighborhood home was built in 1886 as a two-story Queen Anne with Eastlake trim. Mr. Bullard lived there with his wife Elsie and four children Nellie, Edwin, Clark and Elsie. In 1888 Mr. Bullard was elected a trustee of University of Illinois and he had a thriving architectural practice under the firm name of Bullard and Bullard with his brother George.  Among the Springfield buildings designed by Mr. Bullard include many buildings that no longer exist such as the state arsenal and city hall, the Methodist Episcopal church, Christ church, Grace Lutheran church, the Enos school and the Young Men's Christian Association building.

In 1906, the firm of Bullard and Bullard designed an apartment building in the Enos Park Neighborhood.
The design of this building is quite interesting:

513 East Miller Street (Enos Park)

"Barker Flats"

The Barker Flats, is a large brick structure in  Classical revival style with Colonial Revival and Praire style touches. Bullard and Bullard designed the building in  1906 and it is typical of the multiple family buildings then  being built.
The Enos Park Neighborhood 2007 House tour included this infomration on its web site:
"Because people were not yet used to living in apartments, designers had to make them appear as much like houses as possible. Here Bullard made an effort to appear that units were merely private houses stacked one over another, each floor with its own front and rear porches, modern plate-glass windows, fireplaces and large rooms. Barker's building has been excellently maintained since its completion over 100 years ago. Currently there are three original flats, front to back of the building. The rest are one bedroom and studios and still retain the old world charm of hardwood floors and woodwork, pocket doors, mantelpieces and stem heat radiators.


The second and third floors have received the black iron railings, with a flair of New Orleans."



In 1910, a fire destroyed a large portion of the Bullard Residence at 318 S. Glenwood. The home been in the Queen Anne style but with their children grown the Bullards decided a single story home would be more suitable.  Mr. Bullard redesigned the home into a Craftsman Bungalow, an extremely popular house style at that time.

In 1923 Samuel Bullard was elected Mayor of Springfield. Three years later, when he was 73 he died at the home he loved so much.  His son, Clark bought the house from the Bullard estate and raised his family there. The family included 6 children so the large attic was converted into three bedrooms and a bath.

Four generations of Bullards have resided in the house. Outside the home you can still see the stone hitching posts, the original carraige step and the lilac bush planted on the wedding day of the original architect Samuel and his wife ( April 19, 1882.)

1900 Real Estate Ads Bakers' Real Estate Agency, Myers Building

In 1900 the Bakers' Real Estate Agency placed this page of ads in the State Manual. The desciptions of the property  are great, and the prices are wonderful!  The real estate was probably late Victorian cottages as bungalows and four squares. 
(Please click on the image to enlarge for reading).  Alternatively, printing it will give a good copy to read.

Getting ready for winter!

Lots of West side neighbors were out getting their houses ready for winter....We have a lot of pride in out neighborhood.

Last week Mike and I "power washed" out front porch floor tiles. They were set in a bed of concrete 90 years ago and probably just had their first bath!

Instead of rushing through the intersection at Lawrence and MacArthur, think about "Hands Across America"!

When I moved to Springfield, I moved into an upper flat near the corner of Lawrence and MacArthur. The sounds of squealing brakes were all too common but I loved the area. The flat has spacious rooms and wonderful architectural details. Coming from living in small apartments that were part of large complexes, I loved the charms and convenience of the building. But the landscape was much different then --

What started out in 1900 as stores with living quarters above became all residential - for me it was a unique place to live ----

                                                   Here is what it looked like in 1985 -



But the corner looked far different in 1967 -

The corner lot that is now a garden appeared like this:

On May 25, 1986 - this traffic- troubled area played a part in the national effort "Hands Across America."   People from NYC to California formed a human chain to show support for the unfortunate of America. The route went through Springfield  on Lawrence.  Illinois had the longest unbroken chain and 50 Lincoln impersonators participated in Springfield. At 2:00 PM all radios stations played the theme song "Hands Across America" simultaneously.

Then (1967)

And now (2010)



Here on the West Side we live with our history -- Buildings don't have expiration dates on them!

Home with Naturalist History on 705 W. Vine St.

Built in 1924, This sturdy bungalow was the home base for Virginia Eifert as she traveled in the Midwest writing about our abundant nature. Mrs. Eifert produced eighteen volumes of nature writing, cultural history, and biography, along with hundreds of articles on natural history subjects.

Virginia at the Illinois State Museum

For more information on Virginia's legacy to nature, please be sure to visit this link:

http://virginia.larryeifert.com/




 The 2 to 3 bedroom home has wonderful details in the brick and substantial porch pillars. Her son, Larry Eifert ( http://larryeifert.com/ ) has shared the following photographs of the interior home as it was when he grew up there:




Gracious Dining table in 1942





Fireplace in 1942

The Dining table reflects Virginia's travels

The House appearance has evolved since it was built. Here is a 1940's photograph:

A most wonderful front door.

This ad appears to be from the 1950's and I believe the porch must have been enclosed by this time:

1967 photograph